March Green Star News and Events from the Green Party of Pennsylvania

If you find that you share these ideals and want to work toward a future where people and planet are valued and our government represents all of us, come and join the movement. Everything we do is based on our Four Pillars and Ten Key Values. Want to help? Sign the PA Green Party Petition to decriminalize below!

Green Party of PA News Highlights

The Operations Team is recruiting!

This group is at the heart of party functioning: maintaining the website, facilitating nominations and elections, updating the platform and rules, and evaluating and assisting with the many electronic applications and tools we use to help us function smoothly. Operations meets twice a month on Tuesday evenings.

Green Wave offered an Organizer Training web conference call on February 28 that was well-attended by Greens interested in organizing effectively in their communities and looking for guidance on the tools, resources & support that Green Wave can offer. A recorded version should be available.

At the March 17-18 state party meeting in Scranton Green Wave will introduce the PA Green Party’s nominee for U.S. Senate, Neal Gale of the Montgomery County Greens for approval by the full delegate body. Neal’s candidacy has already been tentatively approved by the Steering Committee and he is working to develop his campaign committee. Petitioning begins March 7 and we will need to collect 8,000 signatures statewide so all hands on deck! We are actively recruiting volunteers through the Green Wave website.

Please sign up here to get involved in your region if you won’t be joining us in person at the March 17-18 convention!

Report by Jenny Issacs.

New memberships are rolling in following the January release of the new Green Party of Pennsylvania Membership program.

New members should begin receiving membership benefits ASAP!

The Finance group has taken the additional step of honoring those valued sustaining donors who had made their commitment prior to the new Membership program by issuing them membership cards and buttons. We want to thank our longtime sustaining and first time donors for making our Membership program a success.

Report by Tim Runkle.

The GreenStar newsletter re-launch in February 2018 was an overall sucess. We were republised by the GPUS Media team and our little undertaking made a big impact and spurred a lot of interest. Remember all issues can be found under “GreenStar” in the “News” subsection of www.GPofPA.org. Lon has been a great contributor as co-editor.

We are still seeking issue based writers and professionals for subcommittee work in writing and outreach. Subcommittee work to possibly include written statements / education / to date updates for the Quarterly Newsletter(s), providing “resources and education” will allow our party to share valuable information and build our reputation and presence directly through the content. i.e. Cannabis, Single Payer, Labor etc..

We are grearing up for a good showing of fellow Greens around the state at the Cannabis Festival in April. We have created and a new graphic and hope to make signs in support of our efforts to promote decriminalization. More information under State News.

#BeSeenBeingGreen and help support the party! We have also created new buttons for the new membership program and will be distributing them at the Convention to Green Supporters, Advocates and Champions. You can see the "join_us" page here to see what the levels mean. Current sustaining donors will be included in the new membership levels.

As GP of PA Communications Committee - we must educate and communicate current events and be involved in participatory actions, becasue that's what Greens do.

During the March Convention we will host a number of workshops focused on Green Campaigns. We share experiences from our local and statewide candidates, dive into diversifying our representation, learn media and marketing tools, and face our legal challenges.

The Convention will be held Saturday March 17 through Sunday March 18 between the hours of 10am and 4pm at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, 431 Wyoming Ave #10, Scranton, PA 18503. Saturday will include a day of events hosted by the Lackawanna County Greens. Sunday is reserved for the business meeting of the Green Party of Pennsylvania.

Registration for the Saturday workshops is $35 in advance and $40 at the door. Please register in advance to ensure adequate accommodations.

Saturday night join us for an after party and enjoy live music and community at the Case Quattro Winery, 1542 Main St, Peckville, PA 18452. There is no door fee for the after party however a silent auction held.

Organizations interested in sharing their work on Saturday can apply for a table by contacting the Lackawanna County Green Party at lackawanna.greens@gmail.com.

Want to help us at the convention and can't make it? We are accepting contributions for the silent auction from everyone, and you can send your contribution with someone attending or we can work something out like a pick up/drop off!

The Green Party of Pennsylvania is praising a Federal Court Order, issued Thursday February 1, 2018 by Chief Judge, Lawrence Stengel. The Order brings an end to six years of litigation, regarding Pennsylvania’s restrictive ballot access requirements for third party and independent candidates, resulting in major reform of those requirements. The party considers it a major win for democracy, and it extends congratulations and appreciation to their attorney, Oliver Hall with the Center of Competitive Democracy, Washington, DC. In addition, the Green Party thanks its co-plaintiffs, the Libertarian and Constitution Parties of Pennsylvania.

“Basically, the case results changed the requirements for the total number of signatures a third party candidate in a statewide office race must gain in order to qualify for a ballot position in the general election; lowering those totals to 5,000, or 2,500 voter signatures depending on which office is sought. The original ruling was issued in July of 2016, but, despite its lowering the signature threshold, it imposed a requirement to obtain a minimum number of signatures in several counties. Thursday’s Order removes the county-distribution requirement.” said David Ochmanowicz Jr., Green Party of Pennsylvania Media Coordinator.

“This decision represents a complete victory in the court case, and a major victory for democracy,” said Green Party of Pennsylvania Chair, Sheri Miller. “Since the 2016 Order, Greens have fielded candidates for statewide elections, including Jules Mermelstein, a 2017 Green Party candidate for Judge of the Superior Court. We look forward to offering candidates for Pennsylvania voters who are committed to peace, justice, ecology, and grassroots democracy,” she said.

The case also disposes of the practice of assessing fees and costs on candidates that do not prevail in a petition challenge. Besides previously requiring candidates to get tens of thousands of signatures, Pennsylvania was also infamous for imposing legal fees and court costs on candidates who lost petition challenges. Most notable are the cases of Independent Presidential candidate, Ralph Nader (2004) and Green Party US Senate candidate, Carl Romanelli (2006), who both were charged more than $80,000 in costs and fees. Romanelli is also a plaintiff in this case.

“It is exciting to see this historic victory for ballot access in Pennsylvania. It is not easy to prevail in a court case like this, so the magnitude of this correction should not be overlooked. This is a day that, not only our adversaries, but also our friends, never thought we’d see. It also shows that folks of varied political views can come together for the betterment of all. However, there is still much work to be done, both in policy and in matters of election integrity and voting justice,” Romanelli said.

The case has been full of ups and downs, as it was originally dismissed by Judge Stengel, who decided the third parties lacked standing to bring the action. That decision was appealed, and in 2015 the Third Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the dismissal. This case was again in front of the Third Circuit in 2017, and again the third party plaintiffs won, resulting in the February 1st Final Order. The terms of Order will be the standard until the Pennsylvania General Assembly acts to correct the constitutional violations in the Election Code.

“Although we are thrilled with the outcome of this case, there is still much to do. For example, this ruling does not change the standard for candidates for Congress. That means that Green Party candidates for the US House of Representatives are still subject to 2% of the highest vote in the previous election. We truly hope the legislature will act and properly reform our state’s election issues,” said, Jocolyn Bowser-Bostick, Green Party of Pennsylvania Steering Committee Member.

On April 17, 2016, Gov. Tom Wolf signed SB3, Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana (PAMMJ) Program, into law. 669 days later the first Medical Marijuana dispensaries opened. CY+ in Butler, Pa (Butler County) and Solevo Wellness Center in Squirrel Hill, Pa (Allegheny County) opened their doors on February 15th to patients that have received their medical cards. Two days later TerraVida in Sellersville, Pa (Bucks County) and Keystone Shops in Devon, Pa (Chester County) followed. Over the next few months more dispensaries will begin to open as the Health Department gives them the go ahead. Restore Integrative Wellness Center, is slated to be the first dispensary to open in the city of Philadelphia come mid April.

Currently, there is one medical marijuana cultivation center providing medicine to the 6 open dispensaries throughout the state. Dispensaries will only be able to offer patients their medicine in the following forms: Pills, Oils, Topical, such as, gels, creams and ointments. Also, tincture, which is a sublingual liquid you put under your tongue, and other forms of liquid medicine. Finally, vaporization of oils and nebulization will be the only way a patient can inhale their medicine. Smoking flower, or bud, is prohibited under state law.

Over 17,000 patients and caregivers have registered with the Department of Health and 4,000 have been certified by a registered physician. Among those 4,000 patients more than 400 have received their medical cards. To be eligible for the PAMMJ Program you must meet the 17 serious medical conditionsoutlined by the state. Physicians are required to take a four hour course approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Health if they want to certify a patient for the PAMMJ Program. You can find more about the PAMMJ Program at the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's website.

The Green Party is especially interested in interviewing those who have been traditionally excluded from running as candidates for the two corporate political parties. Our door is open for qualified women, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ and other citizens who agree with the Green Party’s Ten Key Values,”

"Many believe that the federal budget cannot exceed tax revenues. If it did, the national debt would make the White House the poor house. Then why does Washington allow the debt ceiling to rise? How can we be $20 trillion in debt and still be the world’s leading economy? How can we propose a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan or continue to pump a quarter-trillion dollars into military spending annually?

It’s because government spending does not operate on a household budget, and until we understand this, we will not be able to truly make America great again."

News Highlights from GPUS & More

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Green Party of the United States, following the lead of the party's Black Caucus, has endorsed U.S. House Resolution 40 -- Commission to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals.

The text of the Green Party resolution follows below. The resolution was passed by the party's National Committee, in which all accredited state Green Parties and Green Caucuses are represented.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party leaders reacted with shock and grief to the news that Muhiyyidin d'Baha, a Black Lives Matter activist, was gunned down in New Orleans on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Mr. d'Baha was co-chair of the Charleston Green Party in South Carolina.

The Green Party of the United States expressed deep sympathy and condolences for Mr. d'Baha's family and friends. Click the headline to read the full statement.

The Green Party will be on the ballot for the 34th Congressional District of Los Angeles!

Kenneth is a 27 year-old first generation Filipino-American who is a member of the Green Party and is a candidate for California’s Congressional District 34. He ran for this same seat during the 2016 Democratic Primary as a write-in candidate and as a Green Party member in the 2017 Special Election.

Kenneth knows firsthand what working families have gone through and the challenges they continue to face such as: access to quality public education, college affordability, quality health insurance, safe neighborhoods, a clean environment, a living wage to support their families, navigating a broken immigration system, and how owning a home is becoming unattainable for so many people. That is why Kenneth is committed to fighting on behalf of the residents of Congressional District 34 and will run a grassroots campaign funded by small dollar donations, NOT corporations or Super PACs. It is possible for our Government to put People, Planet and Peace over profits!

The co-chairs of the Turkish Greens and the Left Party of the Future (Yesiller ve Sol Gelecek Partisi) Eylem Tuncaelli and Naci Sönmez were released on Saturday morning at 5am after having been held in custody for just over one week. They have been charged with supporting terrorism as well as signing a press release calling for peace and criticising Turkey’s military action in Afrin, Syria.

They are banned from leaving the country and will be placed on parole.

What's in Green's feeds ...

GreenWave is a committee of the Green Party of PA overseeing a regional network of support for candidates, campaigns, and new county affiliations.

2017 was a very good year for local Green wins, and we are looking forward to cultivating numerous candidates for state and federal offices in 2018 -- and to establishing local affiliates in counties that lack them.

It takes hundreds of Greens just like you to make the Green Party work.

We are a people-powered party.

Seeking small donations from many (rather than huge donations from just a few) ensures that the party and its candidates represent real, everyday people and not just special interests.

You can support the Green Party in many ways, however a monthly sustaining donation helps to fund a solid infrastructure to help local chapters coordinate candidates and provide resources to make their campaigns successful. As little as $3 per month can have a significant impact!

Join us and help bring about a future where people and planet are valued over profits.